Gun-loving Pastor To His Flock: Piece Be With You

Piece Be With You: Ky. Protestant Church Welcomes Pistol-packers To 2nd Amendment Event

(AP)  A Kentucky pastor is inviting his flock to bring guns to church to celebrate the Fourth of July and the Second Amendment.

New Bethel Church is welcoming "responsible handgun owners" to wear their firearms inside the church June 27, a Saturday. An ad says there will be a handgun raffle, patriotic music and information on gun safety.

"We're just going to celebrate the upcoming theme of the birth of our nation," said pastor Ken Pagano. "And we're not ashamed to say that there was a strong belief in God and firearms _ without that this country wouldn't be here."

The guns must be unloaded and private security will check visitors at the door, Pagano said.

He said recent church shootings, including the killing Sunday of a late-term abortion provider in Kansas, which he condemned, highlight the need to promote safe gun ownership. The New Bethel Church event was planned months before Dr. George Tiller was shot to death in a Wichita church.

Kentucky allows residents to openly carry guns in public with some restrictions. Gun owners carrying concealed weapons must have state-issued permits and can't take them to schools, jails or bars, among other exceptions.

Pagano's Protestant church, which attracts up to 150 people to Sunday services, is a member of the Assemblies of God. The former Marine and handgun instructor said he expected some backlash, but has heard only a "little bit" of criticism of the gun event.

John Phillips, an Arkansas pastor who was shot twice while leading a service at his former church in 1986, said a house of worship is no place for firearms.

"A church is designated as a safe haven, it's a place of worship," said Phillips, who was shot by a church member's relative for an unknown reason and still has a bullet lodged in his spine. "It is unconscionable to me to think that a church would be a place that you would even want to bring a weapon."

Phillips spoke out against a bill before the Arkansas General Assembly that would have permitted the carrying of guns in that state's churches. The bill failed in February.

Pagano, 50, said some members of his church were concerned that President Obama's administration could restrict gun ownership, and they supported the plan for the event when Pagano asked their opinion.

Marian McClure Taylor, executive director of the Kentucky Council of Churches, an umbrella organization for 11 Christian denominations in Kentucky, said Christian churches are promoters of peace, but "most allow for arms to be taken up under certain conditions."

Taylor said Pagano assured her the event would focus on promoting responsible gun ownership and any proceeds would go to charity.

"Those two commitments are consistent with the high value the Assemblies of God churches place on human life," she said in an e-mail message.

Pagano is encouraging church members to bring a canned good and a friend to the event. He said guns must be unloaded for insurance purposes and safety reasons.

He said the point was not to mix worship with guns, though he may reference some passages from the Bible.

"Firearms can be evil and they can be useful," he said. "We're just trying to promote responsible gun ownership and gun safety."

[DoubleHappiness88]

The merging of worshiping guns and god?
Posted by caldwellptr
______________________

Yes, They are The Christian Taliban.

[caldwellptr]

The merging of worshiping guns and god?

[tt1975]

I'd like to ask everybody that thinks Obama is going to take their guns away to write down their stupid little theory on a piece of paper and tuck it in their wallets so that they can pull it out when his administration is over and realize what an idiot they were. My opinion is that the NRA has their hands up your ### and is working you like a puppet.

Regards

[mensarino]

The idea of armed christians is hilarious and terrifying at the same time.

[ROBACA]

vivaviva44.....quit watching Spiderman movies. Spider nets? LOL

[excop1949]

Let me know how that pepper spray and those "harrapeno" and spider net guns work against that criminal with a .45...

[Slrman]

Everyone should remember a few things.

One - no gun law has ever prevented criminals from obtaining any firearm they want.

Two - No police force can be everywhere at all times. Often they are prohibited from doing nything until a crime has already been committed.

Three - The right to bear arms was not intended to allow people to protect themselves from criminals, but from the government. So why do you think so many in government want to disarm the public?

Finally, here in Brazil, it is almost impossible for a private citizen to legally own a firearm, especially a handgun. Yet the criminals are frequently better-armed than the police. What does that say about restrictive gun laws?

[OregonJames]

I have carried guns for most of my adult life and wouldn't even consider taking my family out unprotected. My guns make my family, my community, and my country safer. I have many guns. Guns have protected our freedoms for many generations, and as long as there are crazies out there guns will continue to be around to protect us.

[gunownerdan]

Killers will always prefer unarmed victims.
I am glad the church will focus on gun safety and firearms education because it is a big responsibility owning guns.
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